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Let Christmas trees
benefit fish and wildlife after the holidays
Instead of letting your Christmas tree
take up space in a landfill this year, state
natural resources officials suggest giving
it a second life by putting it to good use
for fish or wildlife.
In rural areas, discarded Christmas
trees can be put to good use as erosion
control or as brush piles to provide resting
and escape cover for small animals. In
addition to benefiting small game such as
quail and rabbits, brush piles constructed
of Christmas trees can help birds such as
sparrows, towhees and wrens.
"We're getting to the time of year
when the leaves are off, and evergreen cover
is a pretty important part of a total
wildlife management plan," said Tammy Wactor,
wildlife biologist with the S.C. Department
of Natural Resources (DNR) based in Clemson.
"Even though the needles of old Christmas
trees will brown and fall off in two or
three months, if you get enough trees piled
up they will make pretty good cover."
Brush piles are usually mound or
teepee shaped, Wactor said, with the largest
material forming the base and layers of
small limbs and branches added as filler.
The base should consist of sturdy trunks or
limbs to allow adequate escape entrances at
ground level.
Fisheries biologists with the DNR
Freshwater Fisheries Section use discarded
Christmas trees to maintain many fish
attractor sites, which are clearly marked by
buoys, at all major reservoirs in South
Carolina. Once on the lake bottom, Christmas
trees and other suitable materials provide a
surface where aquatic insects live and grow.
These insects in turn attract small fish
that are fed upon by larger fish.
Please do not toss discarded trees on
state fish attraction areas. Some DNR
regions collect the trees from
municipalities, so that they may "pick and
choose" the best trees for their needs,
rather than have the public deliver them to
a DNR facility. Deliver the tree to
designated areas, and state natural
resources personnel will replenish sites as
needed.
Another alternative is grinding up
your tree to use as mulch. Some cities and
counties offer tree grinding at no charge
after the holidays. Those who choose to take
their mulch home can use it for flowerbeds,
gardens or around trees and shrubs. To learn
about a tree grinding program in your
county, contact your local Clemson Extension
office-locations and phone numbers are at:
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/county/index.html.
Perhaps the best
kind of recycling is to buy a live tree and
replant it, and then the tree can provide
evergreen cover for wildlife year-round.
Consumers should keep in mind, however, that
many kinds of popular Christmas trees will
not survive the hot and humid South Carolina
summers.
Among the species that will likely
live and prosper here are:
Virginia
pine, Scotch pine, sand pine, spruce pine,
Eastern red cedar, white cedar, Leyland
cypress and white pine, which does best in
the mountains and upper
Piedmont. Two varieties of
Arizona smooth cypress developed in South
Carolina, Clemson Greenspire and Carolina
Sapphire, will also grow well in our
climate. Tree species that may not survive
here, except in our foothills and mountains,
include hemlock, Colorado blue spruce,
Douglas fir, Fraser fir and balsam fir.
Water Trail
Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve Canoe
(Horry County)
The preserve protects 28 miles of the
Waccamaw River, which is the only river that
originates from a
Carolina Bay.
You can paddle all 28 miles, but the most
convenient spot to start is Wortham’s
landing. You will pas through bottomland
hardwood forest that are the habitat for
numerous birds and animals such as otters
and black bear. Most paddlers can average 2
mph at low water and 4 mph at high water.
Length:
25 miles.
Fees:
None, unless you are hunting or fishing.
Access Points:
Mileage is approximate and for reference
only.
Mile 0-Wortham’s Ferry Landing
-From US 17 in North Myrtle Beach, drive
west on SC 9 for approximately 3.5 miles and
turn right onto Horry County S-26-57. Drive
2.3 miles, turn left onto S-26-111, and
continue to the landing.
Mile 5.5 Highway 9 Public Landing
- From Wortham’s Ferry Landing, drive east
on Horry County S-26-111 and turn right onto
S-26-57. Drive 2.3 miles and turn right onto
SC 9. Drive 2.3 miles and turn right onto
the public parking area. The landing is at
the base of the parking area.
Mile 13.5 Star Bluff Landing
– From the highway 9 Public Landing, drive
east to Stephens Crossroads and turn right
onto Horry County S-26-57 (joins SC 90).
Drive 4.4 miles and turn right onto
S-26-638. The landing is 1.5 miles.
Mile 15.5 – Big
Savannah Bluff
Landing
– From Star Bluff Landing, drive east on
Horry County S-26-638 and turn right onto SC
90. Drive 4 miles and turn right onto
S-26-31. Drive 2.8 miles and turn right onto
SC 905. Drive 4.1 miles and turn right onto
S-26-952. After 3 miles, S-26-952 becomes
dirt. Continue 4 miles on the dirt to the
landing.
Mile 25 – Red Bluff Landing
– From Big Savannah Landing, drive on Horry
County S-26-952 and turn lest onto SC 905.
Drive 4.1 miles and turn right onto S-26-31.
The landing is at the bridge.
Hours:
Dawn to dusk.
Camping:
Riverside camping is allowed on preserve
land. Fires are allowed, but only dead wood
can be burned.
Information:
Heritage Trust Program, 420 Dirleton Road,
Georgetown, SC 29440. Phone 843-546-3226
Fur, Fin, and Feather Sponsorship
Program
Every year Wildlife Action sends numerous
pioneers(children) to our camps through a
system of sponsorships given by businesses
and individuals. This year we were able to
give over $15,000 worth to deserving
children. If it were not for this program,
many of our pioneers would not have been
able to attend. For many, this is a life
changing event. They are given the
opportunity to see life unplugged from all
the technology and trouble of the world. Our
staff works tirelessly to be better than we
are even in our own homes to expose these
young minds to the beauty and lessons of
God’s Backyard. I am so proud to be a part
of that and all the many donors should be as
well. Take the time to look at the faces
from camp in our Wildlife Pride Magazine
and hear the stories of growth as these
kids reconnected to nature, the Good Lord,
and themselves with Wildlife Action.
We are now expanding our youth fishing and
hunt programs to try to expose more pioneers
to these same lessons. They again need
your help. Wildlife Action tries to keep
cost as low as we can and our fine partners
do the same so that as many youth as
possible can participate in these events.
For this reason, we are asking individuals,
organizations, and businesses to please
support our right to fish and hunt and keep
this important lesson alive in the hearts of
the next generation. Sponsor a pioneer to
come to one of our eight youth programs this
season. We have the children with the heart
and desire to be outside, they just need the
help to go. Won’t you consider you or your
company to be a partial or complete sponsor
of an event. For $750, this will
dramatically reduce or even eliminate the
cost for all the pioneers! We would then
name the program after your company and list
you as a special sponsor for these events in
the National Wildlife Pride Magazine.
We are also in need of equipment such as rod
& reels, bows, firearms, ammunition, skeet,
camouflage, and the like to provide to those
children who do not have their own. Please
use this tax donation for the good of
children from all over the Southeast and for
the love of fishing, hunting and the great
outdoors. The rewards will be seen in the
faces and minds of our next generation of
leaders. Please contact me with any
questions that you may have. Thank you for
your support
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